Well It has been a few busy days around here. The Thursday plane was cancelled so we did not need to go to the airport. Construction on the generator house has to stop due to lack of cement. We are about 6 bags short. Cement cost about 8 dollars a bag. We should have enough sand remaining. The walls are about midway up. Next will be the doors which the major security measure and the most cost. All said and done about $1000 to finish the project. Now to protect the generator which would cost $15,000 to replace and to ensure we have electricity for the house, shop, depot, and clinic, you can see the benefit.
The sodas arrived today. We normally keep a few cases on hand so when the teams are here they can have cold sodas. They are purchased in a nearby town. There are no Pepsi products sold in Haiti unless imported. Coke (including sprite) is bottled here in country. We send the cases of empty bottles to the distributor and they exchange for the full bottles and cost just went up to $28/US for a case 24. So with transportation etc they cost just over $1.00/each. Today a friend allowed his driver who was hauling a load of sand to pick them up for us. The cases sat in the soft sand for the bumpy ride here with no breakage.
Dad got BIG RED working. The radiator may not look pretty no more but she runs.
Baby Phillip came by and he was looking ok, so I issued another 2 days of supplies. He weighed 3 oz heavier. It rained most of Thursday afternoon. I did some studying and read a book. It was actually a nice day.
Friday only one of the ladies came by as one had a headache and was unable to come. Right after breakfast we got into the truck and went to Gran Letanye where a team recently help finish building a high school which is to open in a month. The pastor of the church had called my dad to say the tin was pealed back on one side. We drove out there which took about 30 minutes to go the 6 miles to the location. When we drove into the yard on the far left side of the building the ridge cap was curled up.
My dad, who seem to be on the roof of a building every day lately, got the ladder out of the truck and climbed up with his tools and straightend it out and fix it. Turned out the folks hired to finish the roof neglected to put screws in the whole length. He only put 6 screws in the 10 foot length.
While dad fixed the roof, I chatted with some kids in the yard. We talked about the goats they were watching. A man walked by and tied his cow and calf up in the yard.Its common for the chuch folk to tie their animals in the church and school yards. It keeps the grasses low and gives the animals nice
grazing.
The school is due to start in a few weeks and they will do so with no doors or black boards. Its a simple building of 7 rooms to house aproximately 50 students per class. Each room will house a single grade. They do not move about as they do in the US. While the government does dictate certain items that much be taught. The church can add to the classes but not take away anything. The minister of education sends out monitors to check out the schools durring the school year. Each year there is also a test to make sure the child can advance. These test are not given by the school, they are tested in government testing center. If a school has a high percentage of student failing three years in a row the school is shut down. Can you imagine if schools in the states had to ensure their students were learning or lose their license?
When we got back dad met with several people and a pastor from one of the churches he works with. The pastor's shoes were worn and we were able to find him another pair in those left by a past team. For those of you who often wonder what happens to the items you leave, this is it. They are past on to those who come from far away. Thanks to the simple task of you deciding not the pack them and take them home with you, a man's feet are now protected as he walks the hours too and from his home.
Friday afternoon we again had thunderstorms and rain. I worked on computer stuff and Dad worked on the newsletter.
Saturday I woke early and had an early breakfast. Baby phillip arrived about 10am. He had lost 3 ounces and his rash was getting worse. I checkes and he had not been cleaned properly after his diaper was changes and still had a speckeles of mess on this bum and leg. After talking to the caretaker she agreed to let him stay with me for the weekend so I could try and get his weight back up.
Dad worked in the shop today trying to coax life into some solar batteries we got from a missionary who left the country after a family tradgedy. Her husband who was very dear to us passed away suddenly. Dad put 3 gallons of water into them as they were near dry. After hooking them up into a sequence and charged them for a few hours, they seem like they might work. We will have to charge them periodically and equilize them to know for sure.
I looked after phillip and did some computer work. The baby was badly constipated and dehydrated again so I had to feed him every 1-2 hours. My goal for the day was to finish organizing and assembling information and proceedures in the office which had to just stoping to handle the baby. Because he was constipated he was VERY fussy. I used my Grandma's recipe for formula to fix that. I did not get much sleep as his body reacted about 11pm and kept working LOL. We had a nice BIG thunder storm last night and if flickr will be nice tonight I will get a video of it uploaded.
The roads are mud and this morning you can hear the yelling and gunning of the engines as a truck tried to get themselves out of the mud. So we were unable to pass the ravene to get to church. We spent some quiet time this morning. Baby phillip is sleeping and is almost back on schedule.
There is already thunder in the area and we are expecting more rain. The cistern has over 12,000 gallons in it and only 10 inches from the top. This is good as it will need to last most of the year. You should take a look at your water bill for house and times it by 12 months to see how much you would need to collect in a rain season. Just a fun math problem.
I am hoping to go get a shower before the rain and maybe a nap if Phillip will stay asleep.
Thank you to all who read this and pray for us. Thank you also especially to those who write me and let me know you are reading.
Bless you
Bless you
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